It was the end of the school year.
Graduation had been the night before, and students had been coming into class one by one to drop off textbooks and say their goodbyes.
It was approaching the end of the day, but there was one last student who had not yet come. She was his favourite student. She finished at the top of her class. She had a drive to learn and the brains to understand. The teacher recalled many late night phone calls with her, as he explained the various biological and chemical systems of the human body.
She was pretty, too. It was an understated beauty: she had a plain face, and slightly smallish breasts, but the way her face glowed when he complimented her in class... completely enchanting. She also had a way of being completely unaware of the position of her legs, leading to teacher attempting many times to look up her skirt, discreetly; but every time he tried, the hem of the dress barely obscured where her panties would have been.
Those legs. Those slender, long legs of a tall girl. He could look at those legs forever.
"Hello?"
The teacher looked at the door, and there she was. She radiated joy.
"Ah! My favourite student!"
"My favourite teacher!" She embraced the teacher, in the way that all graduating seniors, even the ones who never hug anyone, turn into hugging machines at graduation and start hugging people they would never have been caught dead touching one month earlier.
"So I brought the book back..." The teacher took the book, and moved it to the book pile, and filled out paperwork as the student waited nervously.
Upon noticing the student's behaviour, the teacher inquired "is there something else?"
"Yes." The student began as if she had prepared this speech a few times. "As you know, my family is Indian, and I am a devout Hindu. One thing that used to be practiced by Hindus, though not so much anymore, is a concept called Dakshina."
The teacher briefly raised his eyebrows and indicated for her to continue.
"Dakshina is a payment made by a student to a teacher at the conclusion to a period of studies. The student comes to the teacher and offers Dakshina, and the teacher will then have the right to make any request of the student, and whatever the teacher asks for, the student will do. It could be an item or object, or it could be a task or responsibility.
"Dakshina is best explained with a story from the Mahabharata. There was a commoner boy, named Ekalavya. He very much wanted to become an archer. He sought out the best archer in the land, Dronacharya, and asked to become an apprentice. However, the teacher refused him, because he already had a student, and because of Ekalavya was not from a warrior caste. But Ekalavya did not want to give up. So he built an idol statue of the teacher, and learned from that.
"After Ekalavya finished his training from the idol, he was the best archer in the land. He sought out Dronocharya and offered Dakshina. The teacher was torn. On the one hand, he was proud that his teachings had produced the best archer in the land. However, he had promised his other student that he would become the best archer in the land; and thanks to Ekalavya, his other student was now the second best archer in the land.
"So Dronocharya asked Ekalavya for his right thumb. And Ekalavya cut off his right thumb and gave it to his master. Because of what the teacher had asked for, Ekalavya could no longer be the best archer in the land; but as the teacher had been the one who gave Ekalavya his ability, it was the teacher's right to ask for it back.
"You have been my favourite teacher. You have been my guide from the first day of high school. You have taught me much about biology and chemistry, but you taught me even more about how to act towards others; about how to act towards yourself; about how to live life. Because of all that you have done for me, I would like to offer the service of Dakshina to you. Anything you ask, I will do."
The teacher was blown away by the offer. "I am honoured. Thank you." But the teacher hesitated when deciding what to ask for.
"I can see in your eyes that you have thought of something to ask for, but are afraid to speak it's name."
"It is important to remain self-controlled at all times" the teacher replied. "That is the key to success in life."
"But a teacher should not withhold a request for the student's sake. That would go against Dakshina. Anything you ask, I will do."
"It is not just you I am concerned about; I have the law to keep in mind. I do not want to be fired or imprisoned."
"I had suspected that you would think of a sexual request. I remember our long talks, late at night, and how you would talk freely about your loneliness, due to your inability to find a relationship partner."
"I see that you have come to know me well."
"I am 18 now: my birthday was last month."
"It is not just about age of consent. Teachers can be fired for having sexual relations with a student."
"I stopped being your student five minutes ago when I returned the book."
This was true: she was no longer his student, and she was legal. Would she?
"Very well." The teacher began his request. "As you know, I am a virgin. I would like to lose my virginity. My request of you is to have sex with you."
The student appeared to expect that response, but protested anyways. "According to the Hindu faith, a man or woman should not have sexual relations until they are married. I was hoping to save my virginity until marriage."
"Is not the Dakshina part of your faith as well?"
"Yes it is."
"Then you have a conflict there."
"I do." She pondered for a moment. "Before I take on your task, let me ask: now that you have heard my objections to your task, do you still hold to your same request?"